BadRonald Wants a Date with American Mary

Finally! Your summer just got bloody better. Here it is, folks -- the first trailer for the fabulous Soska Sister's AMERICAN MARY.  Be afraid.  Be fucking afraid!

BadRonald Celebrates Polly Frost ~ Women in Horror Month

Polly Frost is a humorist and an accomplished writer of fiction, radio and plays. Her work has been published in major places like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and she has had collections of stories published in book format.  I celebrate Polly Frost as an artist of words for all the great work she's done, but this being Women in Horror Recognition Month, I wanted to bring her to your attention for her amazing work she's done in horror.  Her book "Deep Inside," a collection of short erotic horror, has been a much buzzed about sensation amongst genre fans, not only for Frost's tremendous wit and satire, but for the depths she goes to challenge and flirt with your mind.

I had the opportunity to chat with Polly about her love of horror, and about the role and portrayal of women in genre films.  Please enjoy!

BadRonald: For me, horror blipped on my radar when I was very young. I was maybe six years old when I first watched Dark Shadows on TV. Then it was a long string of Vincent Price movies. When did you have the first inkling that you liked horror?

Polly Frost: You were six years old! -- very similar to my experience. I was a little younger than that when I first got hooked on horror movies. I was four. Part of my early love of horror comes, I think, from being a Scorpio. I don't mean this in any astrological way, but having my birthday so near to Halloween made me feel a kinship to the horror genre.

The 1941 version of The Wolfman with Lon Chaney, Jr. was the first horror movie I saw. Of course, Chaney was one of the greatest horror actors, because he could elicit your sympathy and terrify you all at the same time. And he really got to me! I would squeal and jump up, hide behind the sofa, and then just have to peek around it and watch some more. Chaney was the perfect actor to lure me into horror.

BadRonald: When I became interested in horror, I have to admit that the attraction was slightly fueled by sex. I was clearly too young to understand much of what was going on, but I remember that horror movies and books were where the racy topics were. Where did you first tie horror and erotica together?

Polly Frost: I came from a Catholic background. So when I got interested in horror, the attraction was VERY fueled by sex. You can't spend time in the Catholic Church without seeing the connection between horror and sex! I mean, if you even think about masturbation you're going to go to Hell. So how can you not think about masturbation and about being in Hell at the same time? How can you not picture demons swirling around you the moment you become aroused for the first time? Plus, if you even think about sex and that means you're damned, why not just party with those demons?

Also, I was raised during a period (the 1960's) when sex was touted as free and good for everyone to do with everyone else, preferably at the same time while doing drugs. However, what most of us came to realize in the 1960's was that if you took the lid off the id of people, you also might be unleashing their dark side. Charles Manson, anyone?

I wrote a collection of erotic horror stories, "DeepInside" that was published by Tor in 2007. When I wrote those stories, I told myself I had to feel two very honest things: arousal and terror. I promised myself I wouldn't write them unless I was honest about the powerful conflict of those two feelings.

BadRonald: I'm very excited to see that women have gained a voice in horror and other genre films. American horror had gotten very typical, until fresh voices -- some of them women -- started reinventing and twisting the genre around. How do you see the role of women in horror today?

Polly Frost: First, I have to say that I love seeing women get involved with horror on any level! Whether it's as an actress or a director, whether on stage, in movies or in books. We talk about the importance of having female directors doing horror now, but let's not forget the horror actresses who lent their spirits, their bodies and their souls to the horror movies of the past: Edwige Fenech, Isabelle Adjani, Camille Keaton, Catherine Deneuve, Felissa Rose, Jessica Harper, Julie Strain, Zoe Tamerlis -- to name but a few.

These actresses were fearless in the extreme ways they got into their characters. Why could they do that? Was it because they were fighting against the macho male directors of that time? Was Susan George's extraordinary performance in Straw Dogs better because she was dealing with Sam Peckinpah? (To me, Straw Dogs is one of those thrillers that overlaps with horror.) Would she have given that same performance had she been working with an understanding and feminist female director?

Here’s how I see what the role of women in horror today should be: continuing that tradition, being proud of it. Not to negate it or to say that these actresses were being objectified by the male directors of the 1970's, but to say, yeah! Those actresses rocked. Now that women are directing more horror movies, they should be taking that tradition and making it even more powerful. I hope women won't be taking horror movies in too sex-positive a direction!

BadRonald:  Many male directors use a false "empowerment" in revenge movies (like the I Spit on Your Grave remake) to further objectify women, while others (like the films of Gasper Noe and Adrian Garcia Bolgliano) do well at examining social issues through their "victims." How do you see sexuality as empowerment in today's horror movies?

Polly Frost: I hated the remake of I Spit on Your Grave. But I don't think that male directors today only err by using "false empowerment" for the arcs of their female characters -- I think they often do even worse by their male characters because they give them false DISempowerment.

I mean, come on -- none of the directors of movies like the remake of I Spit on Your Grave or Wolf Creek would behave the way their male characters do. If they did, they'd never get a film made! Do you believe the men OR the women if these movies? I certainly don't. And there's no real tension between the characters.

Besides, one thing that makes horror a great genre is that you can satirize so many things. One of the stories in my book "Deep Inside" is called "The Dominatrix Has a Career Crisis." I felt very free to write a story that satirized the entitled-to-the-point-of-sociopathology upbringing of many young women I've seen today. If a guy had written that story -- OMG, he would have been slaughtered! But I could write it and get away with it.

I think that's what women can -- and should bring -- to the genre today. They shouldn't engage in what you rightly call the "false" empowerment b.s. of today's male directors. They should delve into the truly dark side of women.

BadRonald: Overall, how do you see the role of women in horror changing, both behind the camera, and in front?

Polly Frost: One thing I'm thrilled to see is how many young women love horror. This was not the case when I was growing up. If I told my female classmates at college that I loved slasher movies, they acted as though I'd just said I was condoning, I don't know, some despicable act of violence. Whereas I saw these movies being honest about the tensions between the sexes at that time. Besides: hey people, it's fantasy.

Today? I love talking to SOME young women today -- the ones who've moved beyond the feminist stance of the 70's through 90's to embracing the power of the horror genre. And let me mention some guys I've worked with: the actor Jake Thomas, Geno McGahee, the director Matt Lambert (with whom I co-produced the horror-sex-sci-fi webseries The Fold), and the filmmaker Paul Busetti. They're part of a new generation of young guy creators who genuinely get off on exhibitions of female power while never losing touch with their own male rowdiness. I love that.

BadRonald Who are some of the female voices in the world of horror that you find interesting (past and present)?

Polly Frost: I absolutely adore Debbie Rochon. She's not just an amazing actress in Lloyd Kaufman movies like Tromeo and Juliet and in loads of low-budget horror movies, she writes on horror, she goes to conventions, she's a fun and generous presence on Facebook -- she's incredible. More artists should be as feisty and accessible as she is. There's an actress in New York City I adore: Jillaine Gill, who does these incredibly bizarre and yet very real horror-themed one woman shows (often in collaboration with her brother, Sean Gill). I love that actress in Takashi Miike's movie, Audition, Miyuki Matsuda, who gave us that terrifying portrayal of mousy love. And I will always revere Anne Rice for her Beauty books, which are essential horror erotica.

Thank you Polly!! 

To find Polly's books, go here.

And also check out her website: pollyfrost.com

BadRonald Interview: Pollyanna McIntosh from The Woman

Lucky McKee's The Woman will hit theaters this month, and I've had the opportunity to speak with some of the people involved in the controversial film (review to come!!).  First up The Woman herself, daringly played by Pollyanna McIntosh.  

I am Woman, hear me rrrrroooar

                                           

BAD RONALD:  I know it's a simple question, but I always like to know: what filmmakers, and what movies, have had the most influence on you? 

POLLYANNA MCINTOSH:  Sidney Lumet has had a profound effect on me with his films.  He showed me the kind of movies and characters I want to see on screen.  Dog Day Afternoon and Network are two of my faves and never fail to make me feel lucky to be human.  Rita Hayworth and Audrey Hepburn make me feel glad to be a woman and alive in my own body.  Almodovar cooks my blood up ‘til I feel it turn Spanish, Jackie Chan makes me wonder at the possibility of hard work plus passion and creative physicality, Patrice Le Conte makes everything bright and marvelous and all my complications feel absolutely as they should be....

BR:  How about Horror -- are you a fan?

PM:  I wouldn’t call myself a horror fan in the sense that I’m not a horror buff, nor is it the first genre I go to but I’m definitely learning more about how artful the genre can be, and The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby and IT DEFINITELY had a massive effect on me, The Omen too!  Such “real” horrors: Madness, mistrust, the fear of madness and exclusion from the world around you, fear itself and the inadequacy of childhood and fear of family!  Ha ha, plus a big scary ass clown which is something that’s kept me clear of large sidewalk drains ever since.  Oh God, I just had a vision!

BR:  Throughout film's history, Horror films have been able to make comments (or maybe more appropriately "get away with" making comments) on many social issues that mainstream or popular media cautiously glance over.  One of the predominant issues I've seen "discussed" in horror is, well... women.  Especially, male aggression towards women.  Where do you see The Woman in this discussion?

On set with Lucky and Pollyanna

PM:  I think The Woman is in the eye of the storm right now with regards to exactly what you say, I think people don’t like to face up to some of these issues and there are those that The Woman offends for this reason and those who value it for doing so.  Mainstream media would rather diffuse it by emasculating men in comedies or arm them with big ‘ole guns and have them kill each other while they rescue some poor defenseless woman.  Now, Lucky says he doesn’t do politics in his movies but to me he has made a feminist film precisely by being someone who judges women on the same level as men as he’s man enough to relate to them.

I hope that the film moves people and causes great discussions and further exploration of the subject but I don’t pretend it’s some high falutin’ intellectual cinema verite.  Lucky provokes, entertains and pushes boundaries without exploitation, with sensitivity and with great flare.  It can be enjoyed on many levels.


BR:  I find it interesting, if not unsettling, that people get up in arms, and become very vocal, when they see a movie like The Woman, or The Clockwork Orange, or I Spit on Your Grave.  They perceive the violence towards, or mistreatment of, women as the direct opinion and practice of the filmmaker.  They have a hard time with the concept that the characters, not the filmmaker, are the one who are brutal and misogynistic.  Because they see a woman being chained and hosed down, they want the MOVIE banished.  They don't advocate for the mistreatment of women in real life, but just in the movies.  Is that strange?

PH:  Amen Brother!


BR:  Making the rounds with this film, have you found the discussion of these issues to be healthy, or overheated? And as a point of curiosity, do you find the discussion different when you talk with men, as opposed to women?

PM:  You know, I’ve actually found the discussions at Q and As to be very healthy.  There are some sharp people out there who love to discuss this stuff and I’m grateful to be prt of something that’s shown me that every screening.  Apart from that one Sundance dude I’ve never had a shitty comment levelled at a QandA.  Both women and men discuss it but I’d say men have been more vocal on the whole.  The women like to come up and chat one on one about it.  I’ve had some pretty moving facebook messages too.


BR:  With such brutal behavior portrayed in this story, how did you prepare for your character -- the Woman? Did you have any reservations or trouble with the story's content?

PM:  I prepare as the character, I discuss the story as a conscientious person and actress with the filmmaker but my character doesn’t have to think about it so it doesn’t come into her prep.   Lucky and I swapped notes for 4 months previous to shooting and Ketchum and I know each other pretty well from Offspring so it was about how Lucky was going to bring stuff to life and we got the tricky stuff out the way early on.  We found we were very much on the same page creatively and it was pretty obvious he was sensitive and thoughtful from the get go.

As far as character prep went the book A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong was really helpful in the inner thoughts of what I was missing with the hunt and my judgement of the Cleeks for the way they went about their lives.  I also studied animals such as big cats, wolves and apes and feral stories. I also worked out like crazy and grew all my hair out.  Sitting Bull was also an inspiration and, of course, I had to spend a lot of time alone in the woods feeling out my “uncivilised” body and how it is to have a territory of your own, alone.

At Fright Fest

 

BR:  In (The Woman producer) Andrew van den Houten's film Offspring, you played the same character, but the commentary of that film is not the same as in The Woman.  How did you evolve the character, and your performance, to suit the film?

PM:  I just took her into a different situation and played off the other actors too.  It all felt very real.  Odd, what we do, and hard to describe, but for me it’s the most natural thing in the world.  I think the differences you see in the films are down to style and directors’ choices rather than mine.  For me, The Woman is The Woman and she is no more “arty” in a cellar than she is with her rabble of kids.  It’s just different filmmaking.


BR:  I recently spoke with Argentine director Adrian Garcia Bogliano about his films.  He, too, uses violence and brutality to demonstrate the ill treatment of women in society.  He said "I (talk) about the role models of the perfect woman that society tries to establish and I also tried to take women out of the victim role and put women as the worst enemy of women."   Some of his female characters, like in The Woman, aren't always admirable.  And I think that kind of direction in a film is important, because it doesn't lay the obvious blame on just the bad men in the movie, but puts it on anyone else who facilitates their behavior.  How do you see the portrayal of women in, not only your film, but in media?
And do you feel movies like The Woman can be used as a positive influence?

PM:  I definitely feel The Woman can be a positive influence.  The discussions I hear it sparking are important.  I was just at a screening in Edinburgh where a woman asked, “How did you feel, as far as your responsibility is concerned, about how all the male characters in the film are loathsome and despicable and not one redeems himself?  Did this seem unfair to you?”  I like that kinda chat as it shows issues of sex and blame are coming up from all angles and not just one of “women as victim”.  She and I talked it out a lot and there was much patience in the audience for these kind of discussions.  It’s not just women who are badly represented in the media but men too and one of the things I think is interesting about Lucky as a filmmaker is that he’s a feminist in the true sense of the word: he sees equality in the sexes, he feels sensitively in a way that only women are “supposed” to and he sees how ridiculous it is to consider one sex “better” or “more valid” than the other.  I feel that as women we are represented in the media in many negative ways which, funnily enough, feed into a societal power structure which favours the status quo of fear and consumerism which is so potent and helpful to “the man” as he stands in our present society.  We can change this as women, we can vote with our hard earned cash for starters and say, actually, no, I don’t want to go get that surgery done thanks and I don’t want to buy bitchy asshole magazines like “Us” and “StarFucker” or whatever the hell they’re called, I’m onto a bigger concept than that and am after a little more self respect.  I feel keenly that, for whatever reason, women often set themselves up against other women and find some sick comfort in putting them down.  We need to really think about our actions across the board and ask what we want then go out and get it in a manner in which we see fit to be treated ourselves.

 

Not the technique Rex Harrison would use

BR:  In Bogliano's films, the female characters/performers are sometimes sexualized.  Not with just nudity, but also with behavior.  For me, this does not discount the message of the film.  In fact, if done genuinely, it flies in the face of the ugly notion that if someone is sexual, they deserve what they get. Admittedly, some movies are guilty of overusing or abusing their actresses willingness to "bare all" while making the statement within the film (for example, the original I Spit on Your Grave danced perilously close to titillation, at times) .  But, in your film, your performance was arguably about "rawness."  The Woman was stripped down to nothing -- an allegory for rebirth, maybe?  How did you come to make the decisions you made on your performance?

PM:  It was pretty visceral for me. I felt a lot upon reading the script and had long conversations with Lucky about his vision and mine and, brilliantly for me, it turned out we had very close ideas.  It was important to me the rape scene particularly was not eroticised nor shot in a panicky, excitable way but more bare bones, cut the bullshit, what is rape about and how would this character handle it kind of way. Let’s not give all the power to the abuser and suggest that it’s a crime that’s one a person can’t recover from.  The reason rape can destroy a person has a lot to do with our societal view that there is blame for the victim and that they are in some way “tainted” or “lesser” because they have been raped.  Well, I saw this as an opportunity to say “fuck that” to that idea.  I’m not changing the world but I do think it’s a fresher approach than most films take with this kind of scene and for Lucky, as me, it was very important that Cleek took on more shame from the situation than The Woman did.

 

McKee, Pollyanna, Andrew van den Houten

BR:  Your character was speechless throughout, and you did a wild job at using your face and body language to portray your thoughts.  How did you come upon that now iconic, penetrating stare?  It really does send chills!  I'd actually have run the other way, had I found you bathing in the woods!

PM:  Ha ha, thanks!  I studied animals a lot and had my character’s inner thoughts down so it came naturally.  I like to tell people it’s a very constructive exercise to spend a bit of time finding your animal self.  You can take on the world that way!


BR:  I would imagine that producers and filmmakers would take note of your gutsy performance.  Have you found that The Woman has notched up your career? (What's next for you?)

PM:  Thanks.  It has been helpful in getting my work out there to a wider audience including some filmmakers who have approached me.  It’s a pleasure to have people giving me props for what I love to do but in truth it just challenges me to do better work.  I’m working on a movie right now called Love Eternal by Brendan Muldowney.  Very different kind of movie.  A dark romance I like to say.  It’s not definable in a genre really but I’m proud of what we’re doing and hope it comes across in the edit.

BR:  I thank you, Pollyanna! 

 Thanks mate, pleasure.


Read the review.

PEEPHOLE REVIEW: Killer's Moon (1978)

Redemption! Redemption Films has been pretty quiet for awhile, as they reorganized.  But now they're back to releasing some of the strangest, most bizarre little artifacts from horror film past. 

coolest poster ever

 To keep up with the movie-going crowd, as they moved from the 60s to the 70s, British film producers recognized that the audience was growing younger.  Teens and twentysomethings were looking to identify with the people on the screen, so the movie world reacted, skewing their popular brands towards the kids. Horror films were growing increasingly popular, and were easier to adapt to the young generation than, say, the comedies (which still had a strong hold with adult viewers). The results of this major switch seemed to have shaken up the status quo.  The grown ups in the press were not always so kind in their reviews, and the British Board of Film... well, they were stunned, and reacted harshly (they would later form the list of "video nasties," videotapes of films deemed unfit for regular consumption).

Producer/Director Alan Birkinshaw wanted to ride this so-called "New Wave" of British Horror, after having grown restless in the television industry.  Hammer Horror, with the help of a new set of producers, had broken the mold of using mature and established named actors, and started gearing their films towards the younger generation with films like Vampire Circus. Birkinshaw wanted in on that crowd.  The result: Killer's Moon.  A movie so notorious it was once said, by the British press, to be "the most tasteless movie in the history of the British Cinema."  Now, if that's not a proper invitation, I don't know what is! 

Oh, the games girls play

What makes Killer's Moon stand out so much is not the reputation it got from the censors, but killer script. On the surface, this bloody thriller sounds like any other of a long list of horror scenarios: a bus load of nubile schoolgirls are stranded after their coach breaks down, finding refuge in a remote hotel, where they are stalked by a trio of escaped inmates, all tweaked on experimental drugs (read LSD).  However, Birkinshaw enlisted the assistance of his sister, the noted feminist writer Fay Weldon, to turn this standard issue horror flick into a smart, subtle satire.  Together Birkinshaw and Weldon weaved together elements of A Clockwork Orange with bits from the popular sex comedies of the day, to take a visceral punch at some of the social hypocrisy and outdated morays of the day.

Of course, like any good horror movie, these bits of satire are well groomed nuances peppered throughout a tightly wound, and brutal thriller.  The "droog" like thugs are vicious as they are properly British, doling out sadistic punishment just as easily as they can.  The mayhem is bloody, the girls are sexy, and the dialogue from Weldon is killer. 

Goodness!  This will just ruin my social standing!

 In an interview, Weldon (who was uncredited in the movie) had this to say about her Killer's Moon script work:  "In the original script, the girls were ciphers. I gave them characters, which had the unfortunate effect of turning the film into a cult movie. I should have left it as it was."  Oh, how wrong she is!  It's true -- her dialogue catapults this movie from being just another horror flick, but that's good fortune, not bad.  Not sure why she's bitter -- maybe it's because she later wrote the Rosanne Barr disaster She Devil. 

Now, where did I leave my wife?

 A taste of some of the fantastic dialogue:

• After an assault, one girl consoles the victim, "Look, you were only raped, as long as you don't tell anyone about it you'll be alright. You pretend it never happened, I'll pretend I never saw it and if we get out of this alive, well, maybe we'll both live to be wives and mothers" 
• The police chief retorts, after hearing about the effects of the drugs on the lunatics, "You mean this criminal lunatic is walking around believing he is in a dream? In my dreams, I murder freely, pillage, loot and rape!"
• "Mr. Jones: Mr psychiatrist, are you there?
  Pete: Go to hell you bastard you're mad!
  Mr. Jones: What sort of reply is that from a National Health psychiatrist? I should have gone private."

BAD RONALD REVIEW: The Slumber Party Massacre Collection

Get Drilled Baby!

So, you know the drill here.  We're all horror nerds and we've seen the Slumber Party flicks during our get-to-know-the-classics phase.  But now's your chance to experience all the blood shed and shredded nighties once again, all together in one deluxe package.

It's been a while since I visited TSPM.  I remember being somewhat underwhelmed the first time I watched it.  Being a horror nut, I enjoyed it, but it sure was no Halloween!  The feminist angle was above my head, too.  I was a kid wit h a Betamax machine, looking for blood and guts and girls. That's all.  Now, as an adult, I can look at these movies with a more experienced eye.  As a result, I had a lot more fun, mainly with the first and original Slumber Party Massacre.

I feel dirty

Had I been aware that TSPM was written by a renowned feminist writer Rita Mae Brown, I probably would've laughed it off.  Being young and naive, I would have surely found fault with the idea once I saw the girls in the shower.  The lingering shots of boobs and bums would've been just pure eye candy for me.  "Boob shots! This is feminism?  Give me a break!!"  Oh to be young and ignorant... and horny.

The obvious satire is present throughout: girls taking the male dominated roles of athlete, the boys who act more like prissy girls, the handy-lady who does all the manly repairs.  But, I wanna get back to that shower scene and take a closer look. (Yeah, no kidding?)  Watching it after twenty years, I had the same thought -- wow!  But then, the longer the camera lingered, I began to wonder Just how is this feminism?  And where can I see more feminist horror!  And then there comes that loooong, lingering pan up the backside of one of the female athletes.  And that's when I got it! The director Amy Jones is delivering just what the horndog doctor ordered, a full dose of female skin... and then some.  The camera lingers so long on the pretty derriere that it becomes obvious that I'm staring. It's not a comfort issue, but I certainly felt a little lecherous, and I think that's what Jones was going for.  It's as if she's demonstrating how silly it is to be wrapped up in the vision of all these naughty bits.  It's a nice little tongue in cheek moment.

Okay, where's the bologna?

This new package by Shout! Factory is worth it just to have the original Slumber Party, but also because of the terrific 3 part documentary Sleepless Nights: Revisiting the Slumber Party Massacres. For fans of the series, it's a great look back at the films from the filmmakers and the players.

Go see more at Shout! Factory.